According to conventional techniques, optical film makers manufacture a roll of a belt and sheet-shaped product having an optical film component in a continuous manner. Examples of the “belt and sheet-shaped product” include a raw polarizing plate, a raw retardation plate, and a raw laminated film of a polarizing plate and a retardation plate each for use in liquid crystal displays. The optical film component is supplied to panel makers who assemble the optical film component (such as a polarizing plate and a retardation plate) and an optical display unit (such as a sealed glass substrate unit containing a liquid crystal cell) from the optical film makers. The optical film makers punch a desired size pieces, which is desired by the panel makers, from the belt and sheet-shaped product and pack a pile of several punched sheet-shaped product pieces for delivery.
A pressure-sensitive adhesive is used to stick the sheet-shaped product to the optical display unit. The pressure-sensitive adhesive is previously provided as a layer on the sheet-shaped product, and a release film is further provided to protect the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. In the process of punching pieces from the sheet-shaped product, therefore, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer can be squeezed out of the punched section. When a pile of several pieces is packed, the squeezing out of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (pressure-sensitive adhesive) can cause sticking of the layered sheet-shaped products and can further cause scratches or stains on the surface of the sheet-shaped products to degrade the quality. Against the problem, it is proposed that the end face of the sheet-shaped product should be worked after the punching so that the influence of the squeezing out of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer can be reduced (see Patent Literature 1 listed below).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2004-167673